Tye-dye fabric?

Question

hey i was wondering if you could tye-dye like natural canvas. like the stuff tote bags and aprons are made of because i want to make a tote and tye-dye it green. so can you? and does is come out dull? thanks. also can you iron on apliques after you tye dye something?

Answer 1

I have dyed cotton canvas tote bags. It's a good idea to presoak it overnight in water to which you have added a drop of Synthrapol or other detergent, because the tight weave of the cotton tends to repel the dye.

It is important to use a quality dye if you want good results. Do not use Rit dye to dye cotton. Instead, use a fiber reactive dye, such as you find in Tulip One Step Fashion Dye, or Jacquard Procion dye, or Dylon Cold Dye, Dylon Permanent Dye, or Dylon Machine Dye. You will not be able to find any of these good dyes at the grocery store, so go to a crafts or hobby store, or a sewing store.

You can also use a tie-dyeing kit. To get green, mix the blue and yellow dyes that come in the kit. Otherwise, follow the instructions closely. Most tie-dye kits are excellent. Good brands include Jacquard, Dylon, Tulip, or Rainbow Rock. Avoid the Rit tie-dye kit and the Magic String kit, because these kits contain poor quality dye that fades quickly and runs in the wash.

Make sure that your canvas is 100% natural. Cotton canvas is good; so are linen canvas and hemp canvas. Canvas that is made from synthetics or a polyester blend will not dye well. You will not be able to dye acrylic canvas.